January 2024
January 2024 During the month of January, Yeovil Town F.C played 4 League matches. Premier League: MD22 Chelsea Post-match Interview "This win was huge. Suddenly, we have re-opened the gap between us and second play to 6-points. The momentum is ours and it is on us to build on that now. The last 2-months have been a little rough for us but we have a lot more clarity now about what we want to do and how we can achieve it. Callum Hudson-Odoi certainly did not pull his punches today. 2 assists and a goal against his former team today with one of his best complete performances yet. That will be tough for their fans to take, especially as was managed to keep their entire team of superstars quiet. This is the year where fans all over the world will learn who he is." Premier League: MD23 Watford Post-match Interview "First, let me sign by talking about our new arrival, Mats Hummels. Our lack of defensive solidarity has been a concern for us. We're potential on the fridge of achieving something great. Maybe the league... Maybe a European Trophy. At this stage, anything is possible. But we needed something to get us over the line. This is where Mats comes in. Unfortunately, with this being a January signing, things get complicated. Valencia would only agree to the move if we offered a player in exchange. Connor Coady was the player they identified being happy with and Connor himself was open to the move. We signed him this Summer from Wolves, and despite making 20-appearances for us so far, hasn't had the impact on results we had hoped for. He's 31 and Mats is 35, but in Hummels we are getting one of the best leaders active in the game right now whilst being one of the most decorated Germans around. It's a short-term fix before we look to address the situation next season, but for now, him and Reece Oxford should form a great partnership with Blind deputising from the bench. Today, we saw the potential of this partnership. For 60 minutes, Watford didn't register a single shot. We pulled Hummels to give him a rest and shortly after, we were on the back foot. Which is telling to his impact and is a reason to get excited. But we shouldn't have thrown away the clean sheet like that. Anyway, the game is done, we have 3-points and now we face United, which will be a fantastic test for the defence." Premier League: MD24 Manchester United Post-match Interview "Tough game. We have always struggled against United and even though the majority of the game we had just as much of an opportunity to take the lead, in the end, we threw caution to the wind and it cost us. Not for the first time, De Gea really was the difference. We had 10 shots, 10 on target. Yet he made 11 saves. There is a man at the peak of his ability and sometimes you just need to acknowledge these things. Today, Callum became the top scorer in the league with 21—somehow overtaking Mounie. He really has been fantastic this season. We also tried out Callum Davis at DM today to try and give us a bit more steel in midfield. I think there was certainly some promise and I think we can try it a bit more, despite having developed through our academy at CB. We welcome Liverpool next before the end of the month. I wouldn't expect any more transfer activity either. We sent a couple of kids out on loan, brought in Hummels... I think we have everything we need." Premier League: MD25 Liverpool Post-match Interview "I have to accept a large amount of responsibility for this. I under-estimated Liverpool today and we paid the price. I benched Hummels as he was tired from the midweek fixture against United and started Davis on the basis that he is quicker and should be better able to catch their attackers. But they picked him out as a target for not being comfortable on the ball and that's where most of their goals came from. It's a painful lesson. We really need this International break. It gives us all a chance to get some much-needed rest and work on ourselves before the second half of the season really begins. We must come back more resolute in defence. We're capable of scoring goals without a problem. If we can adopt a better defensive game, the goals should take care of themselves." YeoLaTengo Monthly Review As far as fixtures go, our performance was completely mixed. Two impressive displays against Chelsea and Watford was overshadowed by defeats to Manchester United and a heavy defeat to Liverpool. We're hanging onto the top of the table with one hand as we're not only 4-points away from Spurs. As if the drama on the pitch wasn't enough, Yeovil made headlines with the signing of 35-year old Mats Hummels from Valencia. C. Coady, having only arrived in the summer, moved the other way. Doing business in January is always complicated and Valencia only agreed to the move providing they weren't put into panic stations with the need to replace a key player. Coady never completely settled to life in Yeovil and was open to moving to Spain. A lot of pundits are speculating that this was bad business by the club, trading a 31-year old for a 35-year old, but neither players were signed for their long-term prospects. In trading to Hummels, even if he doesn't play every match, he helps develop the culture of a winning mentality which has already paid dividends with players like Blind, Sigurdsson and Welbeck brought into the squad to build that culture at the highest level. Elsewhere, 3 players picked up loans for themselves and Leonardo Mancuso moved to Turkey. On the whole, January was a decent month for the club and is something we can build upon in February. With Europa League returning and it being a priority for Sascha Krause, it's entirely possible our league form may suffer if he chooses our best squad for the fixtures. In Out YeoLaTengo Player of the Month Once again, Callum Hudson-Odoi leads the way! Consistent form in front of goal and now the leading scorer in the league. He carried the team in what was largely considered a nightmare list of fixtures. League Table Preview A snapshot of Yeovil Town in the Premier League, with the teams in close proximity.